Apparatus for cracking oil



July 13 1926.

' 1,592,214 E. o. LlNTON APPARATUS FOR CRACKING OIL File t- 1'7. 1922 s Sheets-Sheet 2 III fix Hall nuantoz:

July 13 1926.

E. O. LlNTON APPARATUS FOR CRACKING OIL Filed Oct. 17, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented July 13, 1926..

PAT 51.5 NT QFFICE.

ERNEST O. LINTON, F HAMMOND, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO LINTON GASOLINE PROC- ESS GOMPANL'OI CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OFDELAWARE.

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Application filed October, 17, .1922. Serial No. 595,144.

My invention relates to the continuous cracking of, hydrocarbon oils, and particularly heavy oils, having an asphalticbase. such as Mexican panucooil and asphaltic and 'semi a sphaltio fluxes.

The apparatus comprises a vaporizingchamber within which the oil is caused to flow in a thin stream over extended heated surfaces whereby the vaporizable constituents are freely'liberated. Incombination with this heated chamber lose a second heating chamber or retort into which the. heated vapor mixturesjfrom the vaporizing chamber are directly introduced. In this retort the vapors-are permitted to expand, and caused to flow over highly heated surfaces, this further heating being conducted in the absence of super-atmospheric pressure. The apparatus preferably also comprises a second vaporizingchamber similar in construction to th'atabove mentioned, for "dehydrating, the .cru'de oil before" it .is vaporized. -My invention further relates to' features of construction of the vaporizing chambers and the retort, to their specialconstruction and arrangeme'nt,zto-the means for applying heat, and to other features of construction which. will 'appeai jronnthe accompanying. drawing, "specificatlon and claims.

In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 is a central longitudinal section onthe plane B B of Fig. 3;

Fig.2 is a similar section taken on the plane A-'A of Fig. 3 at right'ang'les to the section on which Fig. 1 is taken.

Fig. 3 is a planviewof the apparatus.

Fig. 4 is a sectionalelevation' of-a condenser unit' and its connections.

Fig. 5 isan enlarged'view ofthe expan-. sion nozzle.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, A- and B arechanibers which may be used ehydrating or vaporizing purilike heatin either for poses. prises a generally cylindrical horizontal shell 1 and a dome 2, from which vapor pipes 33 lead through a connection 4, pref-- erablyformed as an expanding nozizlepinto. the retort C.

Oil feed pipes'5 extend into each of the heating chambers near the torn-andare per forated. From these perforations the oil is delivered on to inclined plates 6'6, having their' upper edges beneath the oil feed pipes,

Each one of these chambers comand their lower edges nearthe wall of the shell. The oil flows from theedges of these plates 66 on to inclined walls-7+7, spaced several inches from the actual outer wall of the chamber. Additional deflecting plates" 8-8 may be provided to take care otthe overflow from the plates 66. These plates are supported within the shell in any suitable manner by metallic connections so that they are heated both by conduction and ra-' diation from the walls of the shellif The unvaporl'zedportion of the oil flows down the walls'77 into a drain .9 at the bottom through which it is withdrawn from the heatmg chamber. No oil is allowed to. ac cumulate in these vaporizing chambers, so that the vaporsare freely liberated .from-a Shallowstream or: film of oil into a large open space.

'VVhen -the chamber A is used for dehydratlon' the dehydratedoil flows through-pipe 10, pump 11 to the oil vfeed pipes 5 5- of the vaporizing chamber B,-the exit pipe 12 from chamber B: .then carrying oil the asphalt or other heavy residue. providing similar pipe connections chamber B may be .used' for dehydration and chamber A for yapo'rizing, or both may be used for vapou- IZlIlg. V

The vapor cracking retort Cxismounted above the horizontal chambers AiandB, and is preferably of the general shape shown comprising an outer shell- 13 and an inner filling chamber 14, spaced from but supported by the shell. The filler chamber may be leftvacant or may be filled with some refractory heat retaining. material, such as ganistel The'mixed vapors in passing through this large but shallow space are heated throughout their mass bycone tact with extended hot surfaces. WVhile l have shown one particular form of retort, other arrangements may obviously be used for the same purpose. i

. The vapors pass from the main body of the vaporizing'chamber C to the dome 15 through a contracted .orifice .16, and thence through exit pipes 17 to a condensing sys.-" tem diagrammatically shown in Fig. 3, Preferably the condensers are formed as deep. narrow boxes 18 imme'rsedin a cooling-liquid, as shown in. Fig. 4. 'The upper :ends ofthese condenser .boxes are connected to headerslt) connected to a suction-pump by which any non-condensed gases are delivered ,to a secondary condensing system (not shown), this pump also serving to prevent any substantial super-atmospheric pressure in the system.

The vaporizing retort C is heated by means of gas or oil burners 21-21, arranged as shown in Fig. 3.' From the burner chambers the products of combustion pass into several layers of checkerw-ork 22, and thence around the outer shell of the retort, the hot gases being preferably kept in' contact with the outer walls of the retort by a supplemental shell 23.

This vapor cracking retort is mounted in a housing 24 made of brick or other suitable refractory material. From the housing 24 the products of combustion pass into flues 25 connected to pipe 26 leading to thestack 27. this passage being controlled by a butterfly valve 28. From the pipe 26 depends a pipe 29 from which branch pipes 30 de-' liver the hot products of combustion into the spaces between partitions 60 and the roof of the housings within which are mounted the vaporizing chambers A and B. The products of combustion pass into one end ofthis housing over the top and along the length of the vaporizing chambers and then down through a passage 31 in the other end of these chambers, and thence back over the lower portions of these chambers into the exit flue 32 leading to the stack. Supplemental burner chambers 33 are provided on each side of the vaporizing chambers, the products of combustion therefrom passing upward through. the passage 34 and throughopenings 35 in the wall 36 into contact with the vaporizing chambers.

The otherwise waste products of combustion from burners 21 can thus be used to furnish heat to the Vaporizers A and B, the supplemental vburners being used when necsary. The vapor pipes 3- are rovided with valves 37 and to each of the omes 22, is connected an additional exit pipe 38 which is connected to a condenser. By making appropriate connections, either one of these chambers may be used as a dehydrator, or as an oil vaporizing chamber. When used as a dehydrator the Water vapors pass off and are led by the pipe 38 to condenser, the

corresponding pipe 3 being closed.

The mode ofop'eration is as follows:

A'ssumin that the chamber A is being used as-a ehydrator to remove water from the crude oil, thev oil which ma be preferably heated, 1S delivered through the perforated pipes 5-5 from'which it flows down over the plates 6-8 and 77, which by reason of their location in and connectionto the'hot shell are themselves heated to the requisite temperature. This temperature, which should be about 400 F., can be as certained by means of a yrometer located in the space between the plates 77 and the shell of the chamber. By the passage of the oil in a continuously flowing film over these extended surfaces, within the heated chamber, thewater is evaporated from the oil, the vapors passing upward to the dome 2, and thence to the exit pipe 38. This apparatus has been found to be successful in entirely freeing even heavy asphaltic oils from water, this freedom from water being highly important as the presence of water in the oil which-is to be vaporized has highly detrimental effects because the liberated vapor are not free from globules of oil which are the plates 66 and 8-8 of this chamber,

and thence over the downwardly inclined walls 7. In this chamber a higher temperature is maintained. The temperature in dome 2 should be from 800 to 850 F.,

.and the temperature in the space between the plates 7 and the wall of the shell about 850 F. This dead air space prevents the plates 77 from being subjected to the I actual heat of the flame or hot gases impinging against the outer surface of the shell it self, thereby preventin any carbonization of the oilfiowing over these plates.

In this chamber B the oil is not onlyvaporized but a partial cracking occurs. Themixed mass of vapors containing all the desirable volatil-izable constituents of the oil, i. e. those having boiling points above that of the asphaltic base or heavy residuum, is then delivered through the pipe 3 and nozzle 4 into the. vapor cracking chamber C. A slight excess of pressure may exist in the pipe 3, but as the hot mixed vapors ass through the openin of the nozzle 4, w icli" is of less diameter t an the pipe 3, the gases are expanded into the large space within the vapor cracking chamber C, and are compelled. to pass between the wallsof the filler 14 and the wall 13 of the chamber, the entire sheet or film of vapors being heated throughout its mass to the requisite temperature, which should be about 1050 to 1100 F., as shown by suitably located pyrometers. From the body portion of the vapor cracking chamber the vapors pass through the orifice 16 to the dome 15 and thence to the condenser. The temperature of the vapors as they leave the dome should be from 'lO50 to l F.

The temperatures specified are those which have been found by experience to be best to obtain the desired results, but obviously they may be varied to some extent as the able to separate the vaporizing chamber from the cracking retort as it is thereby possible to accurately control the conditions in each chamber, while at the same time providing sufficient heating surface 'to adequately vaporize a large quantity of oil in continuous flow, and to thoroughly crack these vapors under definitely controlled conditions as to temperature and time of treatment. I

'My apparatus therefore provides a controlled means for producing the temperatures necessary to effect the vaporization of the oil and the cracking of the vapors, and

- also provides means for controlling the rates of flow (time of treatment) both of liquid and vapors, so that all the desirable vaporizable ingredients are vaporized and effectively cracked, to produce lighter hydro-.

carbons.

The entire apparatus has therefore a large capacity, is relatively inexpensive, and exceedingly eflicient in operation.

As a general indication of the result obtained by the ap lication of my method to a heavy asphaltic base oil, the condensate obtained from the condenser constitutes about of the original oil, and upon fractional distillation yielded about of gasoline,

'the remainder being added to the original oil and re-run.

I claim:

1. An'oil cracking apparatus comprising 4 a vaporizing chamber and means for heating the same, said chamber having therein extended'inclined plates. means for delivermg oil to and above said plates, and an exit pipe at its bottom; a va or cracking retort 4 constructed and arrange to provide for the vapors a shallow passage having. heated walls, means for heating said retort, and a conduit of less diameter than the retort connecting the vaporizing chamber and the 5 lower portion of said retort.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the vapor cracking retort is connected to the conduit through an expansion nozzle.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claiml in 5 which the lower portion of the vapor cracking retort is conical'and has a similarly shaped filler spaced therefrom to form a shallow vapor passage.

4. A vaporizing chamber comprising 6 cylindrical shell, longitudinally'extending inclined plates located in the upper portion of the shell and having their lower edges in proximity tothe wall of the shell, perforated pipes for delivering oil located above said 6 plates, said shell having means for withdrawing residuum. from its bottom and vapor from its top, and means for heating the same. I

5. A vaporizing chamber as claimed in 7 claim 4 in which the shell is provided below the plates with inclined plates having their upper and lower edges only in contact with the shell.

Intestimony whereof, I aflix my signa- 7 ture.,

ERNEST o. LINTON. 

